Men’s Swimming and Diving 2018-19 Season-In-Review

Harvard won its third straight Ivy League title and went on to finish in eighth place at the NCAA Championships (Photo Courtesy: Justin Casterline).

Apr 04, 2019

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard men's swimming and diving team enjoyed a spectacular 2018-19 campaign, highlighted by a third-straight Ivy League title and an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Below are notes recapping the Crimson's year.

DUAL SEASON

Harvard went 8-1 in dual meets and 7-0 against Ivy League competition.

The 8-1 record marked the fifth-straight season in which Harvard dropped one or fewer dual meets and the seventh-consecutive year with at least eight wins.

The Crimson put together an undefeated Ivy campaign for the third year in a row. Harvard is 39-1 in the Ivy League under The Ulen-Brooks Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Swimming and Diving Kevin Tyrrell and 70-4 since the start of the 2007-08 season.

Harvard opened the season ranked No. 19 in the TYR/CSCAA Top 25 Poll and appeared in some fashion (ranked or receiving votes) in all six polls. The Crimson was also ranked No. 23 (Oct. 24) and T-No. 25 (Jan. 23) in 2018-19.

IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Harvard secured its third Ivy League title in a row, totaling 1,432.50 points to outpace second-place Princeton (1,209.50 points).

The Ivy League title was Harvard's fourth in the last six seasons.

Harvard won three consecutive Ivy League championships for the fourth time in program history. The Crimson won at least three titles in row back in 1973-76 (4), 1978-84 (7) and 1999-2002 (4).

The Crimson won 12 events, with senior Brennan Novak and junior Dean Farris each winning three individual races. Novak was victorious in the 500 free, 1,000 free and 1,650 free, with Farris ending up on the top step of the podium in the 100 free, 200 free and 100 back.

Harvard earned 15 all-Ivy League honors (12 first team, 3 second team) for the second straight season.

Farris and Novak were named the Ivy League Championships' co-high point swimmers of the meet. Novak was also awarded the career co-high point swimmer.

Tyrrell for the second year in a row was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year. It marked the second time in three seasons he was voted as the league's top coach.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Harvard sent six student-athletes and all five relays to the NCAA Championships. The six Crimson swimmers were the most since before the 2009-10 campaign. Since '09-10, the most competitors Harvard qualified for nationals was four back in 2013, 2017 and 2018.

The five relays marked the fourth time since 2009-10 that the Crimson qualified teams for each event (2013, 2017, 2018, 2019).

Farris, Marcoux, Novak, and Zarian qualified for three races apiece. Farris earned an invitation for the 50 free, 100 free and 100 back. Marcoux was a qualifier in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly. Novak punched his ticket in the 200 free, 500 free and 1,650 free. And finally, Zarian was eligible for the 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 fly.

Logan Houck and Gures, meanwhile, were qualifiers in a pair of events. Houck was in the field for the 500 free and 1,650 free, with Gures set for the 50 free and 100 fly.

Harvard finished in eighth place with 132 points to record its best finish since 1960-61 (fourth place), and the Ivy League's top performance in 50 years (Yale, fifth place).

Farris won the 100 back (43.66) and 100 free (40.80) to become the first Harvard swimmer to win at least two events at nationals since 1954 (Dave F. Hawkins – 100 breast, 200 breast). Only three Crimson swimmers have won multiple events at NCAAs in program history (William Kendall '40, Hawkins '56, Farris).

With his victory in the 100 back, Farris became Harvard's first NCAA champion since David Berkoff in 1989 (100 back).

In addition to winning two events at NCAAs, Farris opened the meet with a bang by breaking the NCAA and American record in the 200 free when he opened the 800 free relay with a time of 1:29.15.

HARVARD RECORDS

Farris set four individual Harvard records over the course of 2018-19. The junior sits atop the record book in the 50 free (18.92 - NCAAs), 100 free (40.80 - NCAAs), 200 free (1:29.15 - NCAAs) and 100 back (43.66 - NCAAs).

A pair of first-years in Jake Johnson and Gures made their mark in their first year on campus. Johnson is No. 1 all-time at Harvard in the 200 fly (1:42.72 – Ivy League Championships) and 200 IM (1:44.38 – Ivy League Championships). Gures, meanwhile, set the program record in the 100 fly (45.58 – Ivy League Championships).

Zarian is the school record holder in the 400 IM after finishing the Ivy race in 3:42.70.

Harvard re-wrote the record book in four of the five relays (200 free, 400 free, 800 free, 200 medley).

The 200 free relay team of Marcoux, Farris, Gures and Goddard posted a time of 1:16.43. Farris, Marcoux, Gures and Rawls set the 400-free standard with a time of 2:49.88. And Farris, Novak, Reihman and Rawls completed the 800 free in 6:11.73. All three performances came at the NCAA Championships.

The 200 medley relay time of 1:24.33 also occurred at NCAAs and was accomplished by Farris, Chang, Gures and Marcoux.